Advice for parents and grandparents on medicine storage.

Apr. 18, 2013
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David McGlynn/Getty Images

Written by

Kim Painter

Small children who land in the ER after swallowing the wrong medication rarely get the stuff from a medicine cabinet, a recent report says.

Instead, children take pills or bottles off the floor, out of sofa cushions or from purses, counter tops and other easy-to-see spots, most often left there by mothers and grandparents, says the report by the non-profit Safe Kids Worldwide, based in Washington, D.C. In 2011, 67,000 kids went to ERs after accidental exposures to medicine; such cases grew by 30% in a decade.

Kate Carr, Safe Kids president, has this safety advice for parents and grandparents:

• Store meds out of sight and reach — “up and away” is the catch phrase of a campaign by the Centers for Disease Control and Pre­vention.

• If you fear you’ll forget taking medication if it’s stored away, use an alarm or other reminder.